International Patent Publication WO2017/127943 (Carel) titled “Flexible Printed Circuit” describes that Point of Purchase (POP) stand-up displays are typically constructed by cutting a small hole out through cardboard that has been imprinted with graphics. An LED is then manually pushed through the hole, so the LED protrudes from a front of the cardboard and is secured in place with tape positioned at a back of the cardboard. A conductive wire extends to a power transformer box, which is attached to the back of the cardboard by double sided adhesive tape. A power cord is run from the power transformer box to an external power outlet in a wall. When activated, the LED blinks on and off.
The Carel reference goes on to describe a flexible printed circuit that can be robed or folded. The Carel reference further describes “butterfly” connectors that are used to connect electrical components, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), to the flexible printed circuit. The connectors are referred to as “butterfly” connectors due to their shape, having a body with a central portion and opposed wing portions.
To integrate large numbers of LEDs into a thin flexible circuit, with the ability to control each LED separately, it is necessary to provide at least one control line per LED with common power (direct control), or two individual control lines (some can be shared in multiplexed scenarios). Routing these large number of traces can be a difficult task, and as density increases, the trace width must decrease to accommodate. This necessitates a thicker conductive material, to ensure adequate power delivery, compromising the flexibility of the circuit and increasing the cost. In addition, it is often necessary to have traces cross and, therefore, multiple layers are needed.
There will hereinafter be provided an alternative approach to providing power to electrical components on a flexible printed circuit.